About Our Summer Programs
Welcome to HealthBarn USA, the only camp where you can eat, plant, cook and play! We offer Summer Camp (ages 4-6, 7-9 and 10-13) and Summer Seedlings (ages 3-5) in Ridgewood, NJ (we are no longer operating at Abma’s Farm). This hands-on fun and educational experience serves as an important building block for your child’s healthy future in the midst of our fast-food, high touch technology culture. Our goal is to give campers the tools to build strong bodies and healthy minds — it’s not only possible, it’s contagiously fun!
Our award-winning curricula empower campers to master organic gardening, culinary, nutrition and life skills (including putting values into practice and exploring nature), while having a great time! The hands-on cooking includes our “test kitchen” as well as preparing a naturally delicious breakfast, lunch and snack each day with freshly picked ingredients from the garden. There is no need to pack any food! We will accommodate for food allergies upon request.
We are proud to be a New Jersey licensed summer camp and excited to announce that our organic teaching garden is a certified sustainable habitat by the National Wildlife Federation!
We did it safely for campers, families and our team for 2020, 2021, 2022 and we will do it again! We opened Summer Camp on July 6, 2020 during the pandemic and we successfully created a healthy and happy environment based on our COVID procedures/protocols registration structure and our amazing families. We are definitely all in this together!
About Our Summer Programs
Welcome to HealthBarn USA, the only camp where you can eat, plant, cook and play! We offer Summer Camp (ages 4-6, 7-9 and 10-15) and Summer Seedlings (ages 3-5) in Ridgewood, NJ (we are no longer operating at Abma’s Farm). This hands-on fun and educational experience serves as an important building block for your child’s healthy future in the midst of our fast-food culture!
Our campers master organic gardening, culinary, nutrition and life skills (including putting values into practice) while having a great time! The hands-on cooking includes our “test kitchen” as well as preparing a naturally delicious breakfast, lunch and snack each day with freshly picked ingredients from the garden, so no need to pack any food! We will accommodate for food allergies upon request.
We are proud to be a licensed New Jersey Summer Camp!
– A Summer Camp mom
Summer Camp for children ages 4-13
Space is limited to 35 campers each week separated into three teams (ages 4-6, ages 7-9, ages 10-13) who are adventurous eaters, love to cook and get dirty in the garden, picky eaters who want to expand their palette and kids who love exploring nature.
Our camp is offered until August 30, this one-of-kind garden-to-fork experience runs daily from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (summer enrichment programming is available from 3:00 – 6:00 pm and early drop-off is available if arranged in advance, please inquire!).
Each week offers campers a new wholesome experience to learn firsthand where their food comes from and why eating fresh is best for their bodies and the environment, too.
See below for our Summer Seedlings program, for children ages 3-5.
In addition to our award winning, nationally recognized food and nutrition curricula, we offer “themed” weeks that culminate with a Friday finale. The Friday finale reflects the week’s theme, for example Be a Chef’s finale has the campers opening up their own restaurant; and Be a Farmer has the campers opening their own farm stand including marketing, packaging and pricing their produce and recipes.
Voted Best of Bergen and Editor’s Pick by (201) Magazine and makes headlines for it’s amazing activities from hatching turtles to first-time watermelon to giant sunflowers!
Here’s the summer line-up for camp 2023:
- Be a Farmer: June 19 through June 23
- Be a Chef: June 26 through June 30 **WAITLIST ONLY**
- Be a Farmer: July 5 through July 7 (3-day camp pro-rated)
- Be a Chef: July 10 through July 14
- Be an Adventurer: July 17 through July 21
- Be a Farmer: July 24 through July 28 **WAITLIST ONLY**
- Be a Chef: July 31 through August 4 **WAITLIST ONLY**
- Be a Scientist: August 7 through August 11 **WAITLIST ONLY**
- Be a Green: August 14 through August 18 **WAITLIST ONLY**
- Be a Chef: August 21 through August 25 **WAITLIST ONLY**
- Be a Healthy Kid: August 28 through August 30 (3-day camp pro-rated) **WAITLIST ONLY**
**Waitlist Only** weeks, please contact 201-444-2955 to inquire about the waitlist process for your camper(s).
The Friday finale marks the difference of the week, but each week includes extensive cooking, organic gardening, environmental activities, nature hikes, active play and more!
Registration for camp 2023 is open and welcomes all. We are looking forward to an amazing summer, hope to see you!
If you are a new family and would like to take a private tour of the facility, please contact us at 201-444-2955.
Summer Seedlings for children ages 3-5
The Seedlings program is a nurturing activity filled weekly adventure as children rotate between harvesting and planting in our organic gardening; helping to prepare nutritious recipes from scratch, trying a variety of fresh foods; and being creative through art and crafts, too! Inquire about attending more than one class per week if you need more camp time!
Registration for Summer Seedlings 2023 will begin in January! Join us for the 10-week series beginning the week of June 19, 2023. Traveling for the summer? Register for the 5-week sessions beginning June 20, 2023 or beginning July 25, 2023.
Classes are held once per week, with a choice of three session options:
- Tuesdays from 4:00-5:30pm
- Wednesdays from 3:30-5:00pm
- Thursdays from 4:00-5:30pm
Summer Seedlings for children ages 3-5
The Seedlings program is a nurturing activity filled weekly adventure as children rotate between harvesting and planting in our organic gardening; helping to prepare nutritious recipes from scratch, trying a variety of fresh foods; and being creative through art and crafts, too! The summer program is a longer format than the fall, winter and spring sessions.
Join us for one of two 5-week series beginning on either June 15th or July 20th. Enrollment for the full 10-week series is also welcome!
Classes are held once per week (inquire about adding a day or do all three days), with a choice of three session options:
- Tuesdays from 4:00-5:30pm
- Wednesdays from 3:30-5:00pm
- Thursdays from 4:00-5:30pm
Does Your Camper Want More Time at the Barn?
Had a great summer and your camper doesn’t want her healthy-lifestyle experience to end? Sign up for our year-round seasonal programs held after school or on weekends.
As a member of the HealthBarn USA family, please inquire about our returning families rate for all of our programs.
If you have any questions, please CONTACT US!